California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in late September to prepare the state for what is projected to be a historic El Niño season. The move comes as sea levels along the West Coast are expected to rise by up to a foot this month due to warm-water pulses known as Kelvin waves. While the phenomenon is a natural occurrence, the political response has highlighted divergent approaches to disaster preparedness, with California officials mobilizing resources aggressively while Washington state officials have not yet mandated special preparations.
What the Left Is Saying
Governor Newsom, a Democrat, framed the emergency declaration as a necessary step to address the compounded risks of climate change and El Niño. The proclamation is designed to help the state move faster to protect communities, stage critical resources, and strengthen readiness before severe weather intensifies.
Local officials in heavily impacted areas, such as Orange County, echo this urgency, noting that communities are already struggling with erosion issues exacerbated by recent storms and rising seas. Alyssa Napuri, deputy chief of staff for Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley, stated that waves are approaching a seaside rail line and oceanfront homes were damaged during swells last month.
In response, authorities are placing emergency sand on beaches as quickly as possible to mitigate the predicted six to 12-inch rise in water levels. Napuri noted that the region is already struggling with these challenges, emphasizing the immediate need for intervention.
What the Right Is Saying
In contrast to California's proactive emergency declaration, officials in Washington state have adopted a more restrained approach focused on existing infrastructure. Experts with the Washington state Department of Natural Resources are ready to respond to any disasters that might come with the Kelvin waves, but spokesperson Courtney James noted that they have not been asked to do any special preparation so far.
The state regularly coordinates through the Emergency Management Division, relying on established protocols rather than new mandates.
This difference in strategy highlights a policy divergence where Washington officials maintain that standard operational procedures are sufficient to handle the anticipated sea-level rise without the need for a formal state of emergency.
What the Numbers Show
Data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) indicates that the current Kelvin wave will raise sea levels by 6 inches to 1 foot. The wave moves at approximately 9.6 kilometers per hour (150 miles per day). Historically, major El Niño events in 1982-83, 1997-98, and 2015-16 resulted in record West Coast beach erosion.
Sean Vitousek, a research oceanographer with USGS, stated that the combination of elevated sea levels, larger North Pacific swells, and large spring tides between October and February creates conditions for exceptional erosion. Experts note that the wave itself does not crash like a tsunami but raises the baseline water level.
If sea levels are 6 inches higher than normal, high tides and storm surges are amplified by that same margin. Typically, El Niño events produce five or six Kelvin waves; the 2015-2016 event saw five. Experts at North Carolina State University, including assistant professor Dillon Amaya, note that this year's El Niño is on a trajectory to be one of the largest on record.
The Bottom Line
The divergence in state responses—California's emergency declaration versus Washington's reliance on existing coordination—highlights the political debate over the scale of government intervention required for climate-related events. The primary risk is not the wave itself, but the amplified impact of storms and high tides due to elevated baseline sea levels.
Coastal erosion and flooding threaten both private property and public infrastructure, such as rail lines and beaches. With the wave activity expected to continue through February, officials are monitoring conditions closely, and the extent of the damage will depend on the intensity of subsequent storms and tides.